Over 100 businesses in HK vow to strike on Wednesday as anger grows over extradition bill

Thousands are planning "one-person picnics" on Wednesday to get around the city's unlawful assembly law

Sunday’s record-setting protest in Hong Kong has failed to change the government’s mind regarding a controversial extradition bill which would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, setting the stage for more rallies and strikes.

More than 100 businesses in Hong Kong, including everything from retail shops to law firms, have vowed to shut up shop on Wednesday — the day that the proposed law will have its second reading in the city’s parliament — allowing workers to take part in further protests.

On Sunday, organizers say that more than 1 million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to march against the extradition bill, making it the largest demonstration since the city’s handover to China in 1997. Late that night, the situation did descend into violence as police used pepper spray and batons in clashes with protesters outside of the parliament building.

Hong Kong police have said that nearly 358 people could be arrested over the clashes. Already, 19 people have been arrested for “unlawful assembly.” In order to avoid such arrests this time around, some protesters had planned to hold “one-person picnics” in Tamar Park on Wednesday, in which they would claim to have come to the lawn on their own, irrespective of their thousands of fellow demonstrators sitting alongside them.

According to the Chinese calendar, not only 12th June (Wed) will be a great day, everyday will be a great day to do exercise. The government also promotes 30 mins work out each day. It will be wonderful to have a picnic after the exercise! And among the picnic sites, Tamar Park is one of the best choices where you can see the Victoria Harbour just beside the Central Government Offices which were designed by a famous architect.

However, officials have responded with a sly maneuver of their own, cordoning off the lawn for “regular maintenance work.”